The sadness of limited edition and bygone inks

[Pen Ffynnon]

I got a Platinum Coffee Jelly and it came with one of their mixable inks, Dark Syrup. I sampled it today and I love it. It's just the sort of brown I really like. And, of course, it doesn't appear to be part of the line-up (still hopeful it might become so).

 

I was sorry to have missed out on Waterman Brown and Iroshizuku Tsuyu-kusa, and a myriad more inks. Do you have any inky regrets?

[LizEF]

2 minutes ago, Pen Ffynnon said:

Do you have any inky regrets?

I used to, but I have found that there's always another alternative, and so far (excepting one), something I like even better than the one I missed out on.  The fact is, we're in an ink heyday - more inks than anyone can keep track of, new ink-makers popping up, more colors than you knew existed.  Enjoy the variety, enjoy what you've got, and let go of whatever you missed or whatever ran out - there's way more out there to enjoy than you'll ever have time or money for, so just pick some and enjoy it.

[inkstainedruth]

Oh, several.  I'm now hoarding the half-bottle I have remaining of Waterman Absolute Brown.  I managed (whew) to get a back up bottle or two of Tsuyu-kusa before it went away -- but really wanted to cry when it was discontinued (WHY, Pilot?  WHY?)

And I was just saying in another thread that I don't know what shape the first IG inks I ever got are in at this point (they were brewed by FPN Pharmacist, who was the first person that was playing around with IG inks that WEREN'T blue-black).  

The other ink that I regret NOT buying more of at the time was the MB Jimi Hendrix homage ink -- even at the original retail price.     Because it's GORGEOUS -- and looked SOOOO good coming out of the Sterline Ciselé Parker 75 with a B nib.  But of course that meant I was using it up faster, and now?  The price of a bottle (if you can find it at ALL) is at least 3 times what the original retail price was....

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

[langere]

I agree with Liz.

 

Although I have a half bottle of MB Racing Green that I use every once in a while, I cannot keep up with all of the new inks. 

 

 Now the new ones shimmer and shade in ways that was inconceivable not too long ago. And Birmingham Inks, for example, makes what I would call "dirty" inks, which have a whole complexity to them that the older colors simply did not have.  

 

Erick

[inkstainedruth]

Someone was just saying in another thread that some Birmingham ink that had been recommended to someone else that the particular ink in question was no longer listed on their website.  

And now that's making me think of ANOTHER ink that I regret never being able to get a full bottle of: Birmingham Smithfield Street Bridge Truss Blue (the Smithfield Street Bridge is a connector from downtown Pittsburgh over to the South Side of Pittsburgh, and is something of a landmark).  I have a few sample vials of it, but was never able to score a full bottle.  

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

[Mr5x5]

Noodler's 5 O'Clock Shadow. A green-black that was exactly what I was looking for.  I had several bottles that were lost in a flood.  The alternatives are just enough different to be unsatisfying.

[Penguincollector]

  Private Reserve 2 Minutes to Midnight Blue. I was given a sample by the esteemed @LizEF, and I am being very judicious with its use.
 

  PPS and Sheaffer Peacock Blue always and forever. I have plenty, but I take long breaks between uses. 
 

 

[Pen Ffynnon]

27 minutes ago, Penguincollector said:

  Private Reserve 2 Minutes to Midnight Blue. I was given a sample by the esteemed @LizEF, and I am being very judicious with its use.
 

  PPS and Sheaffer Peacock Blue always and forever. I have plenty, but I take long breaks between uses. 
 

 

The hardest part is like the last piece (or few pieces) of candy that you love and brought back from a trip so you can't get any more. If I eat it, I won't have it, but I have it to eat it, but if I eat it....you get the picture. At the same time, I also love Leonardo's Noce Moscata, another delightful brown, so it's not like I will be totally bereft of my preferred brown shade. And as so many (looking at @LizEF and company) have pointed out, not only is there a mass more inks I don't even know about, but production of new colors certainly doesn't seem to be slowing. There's hope, is what I'm saying.  

[LizEF]

19 minutes ago, Pen Ffynnon said:

There's hope, is what I'm saying.

[Penguincollector]

1 hour ago, Pen Ffynnon said:

There's hope, is what I'm saying.  

   Oh, ink is wonderful now. When I was a wee penguin, stores around my house had Parker, Sheaffer (if you were really lucky they had more than blue and black in stock) and maybe Pelikan and Waterman if you knew where to look. The jewelry store sold MontBlanc and Cartier. I’ll take missing out on inks or one time use  if it means that there’s a bigger pool to pick from in general. 

[Misfit]

While they might not exactly be the same, inkswatch.com is a great tool to find the closest colors to your target ink. 
 

I searched for Montblanc British Racing Green hex code. I likely got the hex code for the car. Here are the results. 

Edited June 17, 2025 by Misfit

[Black16]

I never tried Ina-Ho and Waterman's Brown. And even if I'll be able to get a sample from someone - what will be the point of trying, just find out the ink is as perfect as I imagined? It will bring only more grief. Well I'm less sad about Ina-Ho now after I discovered ALL Pilot's inks are too alkaline for my daily pens but it did bring more sadness about Waterman's Brown as it seems to be the best brown for my needs and tastes with the Waterman's quality included. Ina-Ho also seems to be the best golden brown as for my picky taste, but hopefully Noodler's Rome will work it out.

One of my most preferred inks I use daily is Harmonious Green and I'm terrified to think they might discontinue it as well one day.

 

To be honest I can't get it why to discontinue the inks that people love so much and AFAIK both of metnioned were very appreciated. Yup there could be lack of components but why not to reformulate then? Like Lamy did with Petrol in 2025. The ink looks almost the same (according to reviews) and a lot of people are happy to see it being not a limited edition anymore, me included.

 

I wish companies made their limited editions into regular if some inks became popular and reformulated the ones that can't be produced with old formulas anymore. That would make the world a better place imo.

[jonnybardo]

The one that comes most readily to mind was Kyo-no-oto Urahairo...but then I found a 90% full bottle on Reddit and, a few months later, Kyoto TAG reissued it, so I bought two more bottles. 

 

Another Kyoto TAG ink that I missed out on: Fumisome Lichen. They told me they won't be making more, unfortunately, though that's what they said about Urahairo when I emailed them.

 

I also had a similar situation with Bungubox's Omotesando Blue that was solved with a re-issue. There was another ink they hadn't made in awhile that they recently started making again, Bluebird, but I can't justify their shipping charges to the US unless I buy two or three bottles, and that's the only one I want right now, so will have to pass. Alas.

 

But my biggest inky sadness has to do with Japanese exclusives. I've been able to acquire a few, mostly due to a kind soul I met on Reddit that "couriered" for me while on a Japan visit and picked me up a couple bottles of Shosaikan Seiran and a couple Kingdom Notes. But I dream of the day that will likely never come, that I go to Japan with $1000 to spend just on inks.

[Bo Bo Olson]

On 6/16/2025 at 5:07 AM, langere said:

MB Racing Green

Once all things MB were well hated on this com. Racing Green most of all.

 

There was a thread where a fine poster posted some 30-35 murky inks.

Murky and shading was not understood, back in the day of cheap Racing Green.

 

The advice was toss all MB inks and keep the great shoe bottle. 

I was at my B&M with that in mind. I had then a metal flake racing green Mazda MX5.

I had that bottle of Racing green in my hand!!!!. Still €12.00.cubed.

(Long, long before I got hooked on green by Pelikan 4001 Brilliant Green.) I really never saw my self using green.***

Seeing how I was going to be tossing the ink down the sink, I got the MB Sepia, in I'd never had a brown ink.

I was so noobie that I didn't know sepia wasn't brown.

I'm on the remains of the second bottle of Sepia, I got off the Bay. I paid €19 plus mailing.

The new 60g Toffee had cost €13.

......................

Some years later a local store was selling their odd's and ends, and a half a bottle of Pelikan 4001 Brilliant Green was sold for €1.00 (new @€4.00). With in the year, I had 14 green-greenish inks. Got some 24 now.

If you like a nice brilliant green-green shading ink, and don't want to be gouged by MB Irish Green, R&K's Verdura is a nose better than Irish and is @10.50. Pelikan 4001 was third by a neck. The new dull lifeless non shading green, I managed to give to someone just before it would have hit the bathroom sink. Pelikan has a very nice and useful ink bottle. 

[ArtfullyInked]

On 6/16/2025 at 10:58 AM, inkstainedruth said:

Someone was just saying in another thread that some Birmingham ink that had been recommended to someone else that the particular ink in question was no longer listed on their website.  

And now that's making me think of ANOTHER ink that I regret never being able to get a full bottle of: Birmingham Smithfield Street Bridge Truss Blue (the Smithfield Street Bridge is a connector from downtown Pittsburgh over to the South Side of Pittsburgh, and is something of a landmark).  I have a few sample vials of it, but was never able to score a full bottle.  

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

I also have a Birmingham regret:  Two years ago, I missed out (narrowly) on their Antique Sepia, and I’ve been checking their website ever since for the recipe.  On the other hand, I scored two bottles of the Antique Aubergine, which is divine!  I never saw the SSB Truss Blue.

[inkstainedruth]

I just looked Antique Aubergine up, and it's sold out....  So seems that you got lucky on getting a bottle when you had the chance.

Although I'm now tempted by Heron (I've been trying for several years now to find a replacement for MB Tolstoy LE).

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

[ArtfullyInked]

On 1/17/2026 at 11:33 AM, inkstainedruth said:

I just looked Antique Aubergine up, and it's sold out....  So seems that you got lucky on getting a bottle when you had the chance.

Although I'm now tempted by Heron (I've been trying for several years now to find a replacement for MB Tolstoy LE).

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

I purchased a bottle of Heron over the holidays, and if you’re looking for a rich, saturated color, you won’t be disappointed (one caveat: I use it for art but haven’t inked up a pen with it yet).  I’m happy to swatch some out and/or do a writing sample, if you’d like to see more of it.  

[inkstainedruth]

Thanks, but I have way too many inks already (including a bunch that have never been opened).

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

[Uncial]

On 7/28/2025 at 5:12 PM, Bo Bo Olson said:

I got the MB Sepia, in I'd never had a brown ink.

I was so noobie that I didn't know sepia wasn't brown.

 

The recent Hugo Sepia? That is brown

 

The old, rounded corner shoe bottle sepia is a distinctive pink. There is a drop of brown in its chroma, but the weird pink is dominant.

[Runnin_Ute]

One of my favorite inks that I have ever had was Levenger Pomegranate. Great dark red.

 

I had a full bottle and while after a long period of looking for more I got a partial bottle. My regret? Not getting at least one more full bottle when I first heard it was being discontinued. Or even a box of cartridges.